Scots least likely to download illegally

Scottish respondents to the survey said they downloaded or streamed material 10 times per month on average.

Published:12:34Tuesday 08 August 2017

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More than two thirds of British adults are willing to illegally download or stream their favourite television shows, although Scots are the least likely to partake, according to a new study.

Undertaken by broadband comparison website www.broadbanddeals.co.uk, the survey revealed that, north of the border, those who downloaded or streamed content illegally did so just 10 times in an average month compared to 22 times in London.

‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ were among the most popular shows to be viewed this way in the UK.

The research of 4,372 adults aged 18 and over, formed part of a wider study into illegal streaming and downloads across different regions of the country.

All participants were initially asked if they had ever knowingly downloaded or streamed content illegally through their phone, computer, television or other device, to which more than two thirds (67 per cent) admitted to doing so “on a regular basis” of at least once a month or more and a further 14 per cent said that they did so ‘occasionally’.

When asked to clarify what they had previously downloaded or streamed illegally, 88 per cent said ‘TV shows’, 60 per cent said ‘Football matches’, 63 per cent said ‘Films’, 53 per cent said ‘Music’ and 36 per cent admitted to illegally accessing ‘Games’.

Of those polled, more than one in ten (11 per cent) confessed to researchers that they were unaware if they had ever illegally downloaded or streamed content.

All relevant individuals who had stated they streamed or downloaded television shows were given an extensive list of popular series and asked to state which they had watched illegally, with the most common shows were ‘Game Of Thrones’ – 26 per cent, ‘Breaking Bad’ – 17 per cent, ‘The Walking Dead’ – 14 per cent, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ – 8 per cent and The Grand Tour – 6 per cent.

Tom Rodgers, site spokesman, said: “It seems from our research into the downloading habits of Britons that a very small percentage of people see an issue with essentially viewing content that has been obtained illegally. Whilst it may not seem as serious as some offences; it is by no means a victimless crime.

“When someone makes the decision to illegally obtain music, games, films and television shows there are large numbers of ‘behind the scenes’ individuals, like session musicians, production assistant and junior animators, that are unfairly losing out on money and royalties and potentially the opportunity to work on such creative projects in the future.”